7x7's Friendly Guide to Cannabis in the Bay Area [Updated]

Years from now, a fresh-faced generation of San Franciscans will look back on this moment as a defining one in Bay Area history. This is the moment when disgust and fatigue with the failed war on drugs, with the unjust overpopulation of our prisons, with the criminalization of farmers and consumers of a curative and, to some, sacred plant, gave way to a modern-day Summer of Love. When our roots as Gold Rush–era entrepreneurs and rebellious hippie pot smokers met our current incarnation as technological innovators and creators of artisanal everything to ignite yet another movement that will change not just San Francisco and California but the rest of the country, if not the world as well. This is the moment when Californians said no to senseless prohibition and yes to regulated recreational use of cannabis for adults ages 21 and up. Can we get a hell yeah?!

To celebrate Northern California's tens of thousands of small cannabis farmers, growers, makers, and entrepreneurs, 7x7 has curated a Bay Area guide to cannabis for the kind of people who love a good glass of wine or a craft beer, an energizing hike, a locally made garment, an eye-opening experience, an inspiring conversation. Because the world's most stigmatized plant is becoming as mainstream as Bi-Rite's salted caramel—and in many cases, it's just as tasty.

This is in no way a comprehensive look at marijuana in the Bay Area—there's already too much out there. Instead, these are our absolute favorite things in the world of Bay Area cannabis, thoroughly vetted for quality, style and safety by industry experts who know. Don't see your favorites? Send us your recommendations!

While we won't feel the full high of legalization until recreational licenses go into effect on January 1, 2018, you may still partake of the Bay Area's best by using your medical marijuana card. (Don't have one? Scroll to the bottom of this post.)

Happy smoking, vaping, eating, soaking, lounging...however you enjoy your cannabis, for ganja's sake be smart about it. The world is watching.

Experiences are the new commodity, and the cannabis world is getting in on the action. As pot goes mainstream, devotees are coming out of the shadows to share herb together over a host of fun activities. Read more...

Until recreational sales licenses take effect on January 1, 2018, you'll still need a medical marijuana card to purchase cannabis in California. Here are the coolest and quickest ways to get your card, as well as a few doctors and nurses who are changing the landscape of modern medicine. Read more...

--

7x7's Guide to Cannabis was originally published on April 20, 2016 and was updated on November 8, 2016.